


Here There Be Fairies

by SherlockianSyndromes



Series: Atlantis Apothecary & Pegasus Cafe [3]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Midsummer, Pagan Festivals, Paganism, Summer Solstice, new age shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 17:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15029195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianSyndromes/pseuds/SherlockianSyndromes
Summary: John explains Midsummer to Rodney at Atlantis Apothecary's summer solstice bonfire.





	Here There Be Fairies

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the story_works Solstice flash challenge.
> 
> Thanks to nagi_schwarz and Brumeier for the quick beta and words of encouragement!

“So, what’s this all about again? Fairies or something?”

John rolled his eyes. “Were you not listening when Elizabeth and Teyla gave the invocation?”

“Yes, but I was also wondering why they were about to light a bonfire on the longest, hottest day of the year.” Rodney sipped at his drink and gestured toward the raging bonfire a few feet away from them. “What is this anyway? Tastes like honey and moonshine.”

John took a sip and squinted at the harsh yet sweet aftertaste. “Mead. I’m pretty sure Ronon made it.”

Rodney scoffed. “That explains it then. Anyway, more details. You keep inviting me to these things and I keep showing up out of pity -”

John narrowed his eyes. “Pity?”

“Okay, pity isn’t the right word - how about sheer morbid curiosity? Oh, also the food. I’m gonna go get another honey cake thing.” Rodney eyed the picnic table set up next to the back door of the store, covered in a wide variety of drinks and treats, and scampered over to scavenge for leftover cake.

“Food and morbid curiosity. Got it,” John said to himself, gulping the rest of his mead in one go and regretting it a few seconds later.

He wondered why he kept inviting Rodney to sabbat events at the Apothecary. At first it had been fun challenging all of his skepticism, and there was a real warmth and passion to Rodney once John got under his rough exterior. Despite the easy closeness they’d developed between them, John felt like there was just something missing - something that he wasn’t doing or that Rodney wasn’t understanding.

And whatever it was, it was obvious that Evan and Ronon had it figured out. John couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as he glanced at the two of them by the fire, Ronon sitting cross-legged on the ground and drumming away with Evan draped around his shoulders.

Rodney returned to John’s side then, licking honey from his fingers in such an obscene manner that John forced himself to divert his attention to the small basket of flowers at his feet.

“You still want a Midsummer lecture, or no?” John asked, picking up the basket.

“Yes, Master Sheppard. Tell me of Midsummer.” Rodney was grinning, but John couldn’t help noticing the sarcasm tingeing his voice.

“It’s the festival of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. People celebrate different things, but it’s used to give thanks to the sun, hence the giant fire. This is on the opposite side of the calendar from Yule, the shortest day of the year, so we’re recognizing now that the days will get shorter and we’re heading into the darker, colder time of the year. Also lots of handfastings usually happen around this time -”

“Handfasting? What’s that?” Rodney interrupted.

“Oh, it’s a Pagan marriage ceremony. They call it a handfasting because you hold hands like this -” John put his basket back down and took Rodney’s hands in his own, left taking right, right taking left. “And then they wrap cord or twine or ribbon around your hands, symbolizing that you’ve been bound together for eternity.”

John looked up from their joined hands and saw that Rodney was staring at him, bewilderment in his eyes but a slight smile on his face. John let go of Rodney’s hands and bent down to pick up the basket again. He cleared his throat.

“Anyway, fairies. Fairies are also a thing. Today is supposed to be a good day for communing with them. So let’s go commune.”

Rodney raised an eyebrow. “How are we communing?”

John rolled his eyes. “We’re just gonna throw some flowers in the fire, okay? Calm down.”

“Where’d you get flowers?”

“This new thing called my garden.”

Rodney snatched the basket from John’s hand and looked inside. “This is just a bunch of lavender. Oh, and a few stray daisies, my bad.”

John took the basket back. “It’s  _ tradition _ to throw lavender flowers into the Midsummer bonfire. To honor the gods and goddesses and attract fairies.”

_ And also to do love magic, but hey, who needs to know about that?  _ John thought to himself as he threw a handful of lavender buds into the fire. He took the daisies out of the basket and handed it off to Rodney, who unceremoniously dumped the remaining lavender into the fire and stepped back.

“Smells nice.”

John nodded and toyed with the daisy blossoms in his hand, debating on whether or not he wanted to be bold. He began to walk away from the fire and Rodney followed him.

“It makes sense that you like Midsummer.”

John turned back toward Rodney. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains and Rodney was surrounded by the glow of the sky and the fire and John felt his breath hitch in his chest. 

_ Okay. I get it. Message received. Time to be bold. _

“Why does it make sense?”

Rodney smiled. “Because you look like a fairy.”

“What do you mean?”

Rodney waved a hand in John’s direction. “The hair, the pointy ears, the body type, your ability to trick me into liking any of this stuff...would you like me to continue?”

John closed the distance between them and felt his heart race faster when Rodney made no motion to move away. He took one of the daisies and tucked it behind Rodney’s ear, his hand lingering for just a second too long.

“Well, when dealing with fairies, it’s important to be respectful and polite. They can be quite tricky if annoyed.”

Rodney looked down at John’s hand holding the other daisy blossom and tugged it away from him.

“Duly noted. For when I commune in the future,” Rodney said, his voice barely audible over the rhythmic drumming and amiable fanfare. He reached up and put the flower behind John’s ear.

Before Rodney could pull his hand away, John curled his hand around Rodney’s wrist and tugged him closer.

“How about now?” John whispered. He could feel the ghost of Rodney’s breath on his lips.

Rodney nodded. “Now is good.”

Their lips met and John tasted honey and warmth and fire, and in that moment, magic was definitely real.

~

“HA! Yes!”

Ronon glanced back at Evan. “What are you shouting about?”

Evan grabbed the sides of Ronon’s face and turned his head toward where John and Rodney stood kissing in the light of the fading sun.

“Okay, John and Doctor McKay are kissing. So?”

Evan turned Ronon’s face back towards his. “Were you not in on the betting pool?”

Ronon’s brow furrowed. “What betting pool?”

Evan grinned and kissed Ronon’s forehead. “For how long it would be until those two stopped being idiots and actually kissed each other. I picked Midsummer, so I win!”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Midsummer! Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
